Nicole Willis, PhD, LMSW, has taught at Texas Southern University (TSU) since 2011, and is currently serving as Associate Professor and Interim Chair of the Social Work Department. Prior to TSU, she worked as a School Social Worker in Houston ISD for six years. She has publications in peer-reviewed journals in the areas of public child welfare, professional self-care, and crisis recovery in higher education, and therapeutic games for children. "Service" is a core value of the Social Work profession that Dr. Willis is most passionate about. In addition to serving on a variety of TSU department, college, and university committees, she is active serving in the profession. Dr. Willis served on the National Association of Social Workers/Texas Conference Planning Committee for five years. She is currently serving a 3-year term as Secretary on the National Association of Social Workers/Texas Board of Directors, and also serves on the Texas Association of Deans and Directors Task Force. She is also active in her local community, serving as a children's shepherd at the Woodlands Church, an officer in the PTA and the Site-Based Decision-Making Committee at Ridge Creek Elementary School, a volunteer at Jesse H. Jones Park, and Team Manager of her daughter’s soccer team.
Dr. Veronica Molina, DSW, LMSW, ACSW is an Assistant Professor and MSW Field Director with Tarleton State University and bilingual licensed social worker with over 16 years of social work experience. Her primary practice experience has been with Hispanic children and families in the Rio Grande Valley, and military families in Central Texas affected by abuse and neglect. She has provided trauma-informed crisis interventions to families struggling with trauma, immigration issues, poverty, mental health issues, domestic violence, substance abuse, homelessness, parent-child conflicts, food insecurities, and indigent services. Dr. Molina’s current service projects are with the Bell County Child Welfare Board, Prosper Waco, La Puerta Waco, and serving on university committees. Dr. Molina’s research interests are in self-care, work-place wellness, child welfare and field education and recently co-authored Self-Care: Essential PPE for Essential Social Workers published with Social Work Today.
Dr. Denetria Brooks-James, DSW, LMSW. Dr. Denetria Brooks-James, currently holds a LMSW in the State of Texas, and is an active member of the Texas NASW Chapter, and recently elected as the Alamo Branch Chair. She is currently an active member of their NASW Ethic Committee Team. She obtained her BSW and MSW at East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, TN) and her DSW from the University of St. Thomas (Minneapolis, MN.) Her passion for equity and cultural competence has led her to the scholarly interests of cultural competency and equitability as it relates to the field of Social Work and in higher academia. Her experiences and expertise in cultural competency have afforded her the opportunity to present at several conferences and conduct numerous trainings.
